High School of Demon Hunting

"Earworms and Lazy Bugs are similar, both belonging to the phylum Arthropoda, subphylum Chelicerata, class Arachnida, like common insects such as spiders, scorpions, ticks, and mites. The Qinling Ancient Zither you have seen before belongs to this class. However, unlike its order Araneae, Lazy Bugs and Earworms belong to a very special order—the Immaterial Order."

"Immaterial doesn’t entirely mean the absence of dimensions. In many cases, species with uncertain dimensional attributes are classified under this order."

"Just like several bugs we’ve encountered: Sand Time Worms and Lazy Bugs belong to the Immaterial Order, Spacetime Family, Lazy Bug Genus; one belongs to the Lazy Bug Sand Time Subgenus, the other to the Lazy Bug Subgenus. Earworms diverge one level above these two bugs, belonging to the Earworm Genus of the Spacetime Family in the Immaterial Order. Overall, these three bugs are considered close relatives. As to whether they have reproductive isolation, the Magic World has yet to reach a conclusion."

"After all, in magic, anything is possible."

Professor Li’s voice was very soft, almost a whisper, weaker than his usual tone, as if worried that a slightly louder voice would awaken the Earworm.

The Earworm was right in the turquoise porcelain dish he held.

Just a moment ago, when the students crowded around, the professor used something resembling a spider silk to fish out this little bug from Li Meng’s right ear in seconds. It looked fleshy, without antennae, but it did have several pairs of abdominal legs. Zheng Qing couldn’t understand why this bug was classified under Arachnida rather than Insecta.

"This bug isn’t very hard to catch, is it?" Duan Xiao Jian whispered, leaning his head forward.

The Potion Class Professor did not ignore his voice.

"For any question, difficulty is always a relative concept."

The professor pointed to the small bug curled up in the dish, seemingly asleep, and slightly emphasized his voice: "Perhaps you think the process of fishing it out was fast and easy, but actually it’s a very difficult process, requiring knowledge of divination, magical creatures, and potion-making, along with sufficient skill and resources... That virtual silkworm thread capable of dropping into different dimensions is not something you can simply retrieve. I’m telling you this not to boast about my skills, but to help you understand that compared to virtual silkworm threads, the bug repellent commonly used by Wizards is the most popular method. Now, back on track, can anyone tell me the weak point of the Earworm?"

He looked around.

Zheng Qing touched his chin, feeling like his Potion Class Professor had turned into a magical zoology professor.

The other young Wizards exchanged confused glances.

As a type of bug that isn’t particularly rare, not very harmful, yet difficult to capture, few Wizards pay attention to its appearance, let alone its weak points—especially since it’s unrelated to exam grades, making it even more transparent to the young Wizards of First University.

Ultimately, it was Xiao Xiao who slowly raised his hand under the urging gazes of the others.

"I remember from ’Insect Tales’ that the sound of running water, rain, and leaves rustling in the breeze can make Earworms enter a short-term dormant state."

At this point, he habitually adjusted his glasses and added: "Furthermore, I recall that Fizzell Magic Pharmacy Company developed a magic ear snail that can capture Earworms. The shell on the back of these ear snails can emit similar broad-frequency noise, paralyzing Earworms, allowing the ear snails to crawl into the ear canal and drag them out..."

"Alright, alright, Xiao Xiao receives one point."

Professor Li gestured satisfactorily and looked around again: "Now, who knows the use of Earworm secretion? Anyone besides Xiao Xiao wants to answer this question?"

This time the response came from Xin Fat Man.

"Earworm secretion can thicken soup, effectively enhancing the taste of broth." He appeared satisfied, evidently believing that this use was little known.

Zheng Qing felt Professor Li’s expression was somewhat complex.

After a pause, seeing the Fat Wizard had no intention to add, he reluctantly nodded: "Well, said like that it isn’t wrong, but we’re in a potion class, not a culinary or cooking class, so I can’t give you extra points... Others, you can slightly expand your thinking, considering if Earworm secretion can enhance broth thickness, then it can..."

He guided the surrounding participants.

"Enhance potion thickness!"

"Enhance potion quality!"

"Make the potion more potent!"

The voices of young Wizards arose instantly, and the Fat Wizard showed a trace of regret, clearly realizing that his response was merely a step away from the teacher’s desired answer.

"Very good."

The professor put away the small dish and then made a dismissive gesture: "Now, everyone join me in the Hundred Herb Gardens to complete today’s other bug-catching task. I mentioned earlier that the Shatang Tree has bugs, Uncle Sistanda has already prepared the bug repellent for you... Coincidentally, we now have an Earworm, allowing us to extract some of its secretion, which will help you complete today’s task."

Having just been rid of the Earworm, Li Meng’s expression still carried some bewilderment.

The professor looked at her and added: "Well, Li Meng can stay in the classroom... Do you need me to write an excuse note? Do you want to rest for a while?"

The words ’excuse note’ were evidently more effective than any magic potion.

The little witch’s eyes visibly brightened.

"No, she doesn’t need an excuse note, professor." Jiang Yu cheerfully rejected the professor’s suggestion: "Compared to an excuse note, she would rather you assign her some homework..."

Li Meng’s face immediately drooped, and she whispered softly: "No, I don’t want that."

Zheng Qing chuckled silently.

On the way to the Hundred Herb Gardens, recalling this scene, he still found it amusing.

"What are you laughing at?" Jiang Yu curiously glanced at him.

At this moment, the two were at the back of the team, with the Black Gem Cat and White Jade Cat perched on her shoulders, enjoying the breeze and sunshine.

Zheng Qing promptly suppressed his laughter.

Being an outsider, it wasn’t appropriate for him to comment on matters between the two sisters.

"Ahem," the boy lightly coughed: "Nothing... I just felt that Professor Li seemed to know Li Meng had an Earworm? I saw him head straight to Li Meng when he entered the classroom."

"You guessed correctly."

The witch raised her hand, scratching the Black Gem Cat’s chin: "I contacted Professor Li in the morning to ask if he could check whether my concocted potion was qualified... Just now, he confirmed that my potion was qualified, but mentioned there was a better method... You know the rest."

The Black Gem Cat, currently preoccupied with enjoying the scratching, suddenly opened its eyes and curiously looked at the witch: "Speaking of just now... Why didn’t you raise your hand?"